U.S. patent number 8,166,590 [Application Number 12/424,629] was granted by the patent office on 2012-05-01 for method and apparatus for determining laundry load size.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Whirlpool Corporation. Invention is credited to Farhad Ashrafzadeh, Ryan Robert Bellinger.
United States Patent |
8,166,590 |
Ashrafzadeh , et
al. |
May 1, 2012 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Method and apparatus for determining laundry load size
Abstract
A method and apparatus according to one embodiment for operating
a laundry treating appliance includes determining a parameter
representative of a rotational speed of laundry in a drum and
determining a laundry load size based on the parameter.
Inventors: |
Ashrafzadeh; Farhad
(Stevensville, MI), Bellinger; Ryan Robert (Saint Joseph,
MI) |
Assignee: |
Whirlpool Corporation (Benton
Harbor, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
42779840 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/424,629 |
Filed: |
April 16, 2009 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20100263136 A1 |
Oct 21, 2010 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
8/159; 8/148;
8/137; 68/139 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F
33/00 (20130101); D06F 34/18 (20200201); D06F
2105/48 (20200201); D06F 2103/24 (20200201); D06F
2103/04 (20200201) |
Current International
Class: |
D06F
39/00 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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4336350 |
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Apr 1995 |
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DE |
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19819554 |
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Nov 1999 |
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DE |
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102008055091 |
|
Jun 2010 |
|
DE |
|
0536542 |
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Apr 1993 |
|
EP |
|
0704568 |
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Apr 1996 |
|
EP |
|
2008054960 |
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Mar 2008 |
|
JP |
|
2009056262 |
|
Mar 2009 |
|
JP |
|
2005/085511 |
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Sep 2005 |
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WO |
|
2008/003710 |
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Jan 2008 |
|
WO |
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2008/053002 |
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May 2008 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
German Search Report from corresponding DE102010016137, Feb. 6,
2012. cited by other.
|
Primary Examiner: Kornakov; Michael
Assistant Examiner: Golightly; Eric
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Green; Clifton G. McGarry Bair
PC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance comprising a
drum configured to hold laundry, the method comprising: determining
a rotational speed of the drum; determining a rotational speed of
the laundry inside the drum; comparing the rotational speed of the
drum to the rotational speed of the laundry; and determining a
laundry load size based on the comparison of the rotational speed
of the drum and the rotational speed of the laundry.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the comparison is a
difference between the rotational speed of the drum and the
rotational speed of the laundry.
3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the difference is a
difference between the rotational speed of the drum in a frequency
domain and the rotational speed of the laundry in a frequency
domain.
4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the drum is rotated by a
motor, and the difference between the rotational speeds of the drum
and the laundry are determined from a characteristic of the
motor.
5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the characteristic of
the motor is motor torque.
6. The method according to claim 4 wherein the characteristic of
the motor is determined in a frequency domain.
7. The method according to claim 6 wherein a Fourier transform is
used to convert the motor characteristic from a time domain to the
frequency domain.
8. The method according to claim 2 wherein the laundry load size
increases as the difference decreases.
9. The method according to claim 2 wherein the determining of the
laundry load size based on the comparison comprises comparing the
difference to predetermined ranges of the difference corresponding
to predetermined laundry load sizes.
10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the laundry load size
is a qualitative load size.
11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising wetting the
laundry prior to determining the rotational speed of the laundry
inside the drum.
12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the wetting of the
laundry comprises saturating the laundry.
13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the laundry treating
appliance is a washing machine.
14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the washing machine is
a horizontal axis washing machine.
15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising operating
the drum at a steady state while determining the rotational speed
of the drum and determining the rotational speed of the laundry
inside the drum.
16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the laundry comprises
a plurality of individual fabric items, and the operation of the
drum at the steady state causes substantially all of the individual
fabric items to rotate as a collective body.
17. The method according to claim 15 wherein the operation of the
drum at the steady state comprises rotating the drum at a constant
rotational speed.
18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the constant
rotational speed corresponds to rolling the laundry in the
drum.
19. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance comprising a
drum configured to hold laundry, the method comprising: determining
a parameter representative of a relationship between a rotational
speed of the drum and a rotational speed of the laundry; and
determining a laundry load size based on the parameter, wherein the
relationship is a difference between the rotational speed of the
drum and the rotational speed of the laundry.
20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the drum is rotated by
a motor, and the difference between the rotational speeds of the
drum and the laundry are determined from a characteristic of the
motor.
21. The method according to claim 20 wherein the characteristic of
the motor is motor torque.
22. The method according to claim 20 wherein the characteristic of
the motor is in a frequency domain.
23. The method according to claim 22 wherein a Fourier transform is
used to convert the motor characteristic from a time domain to the
frequency domain.
24. The method according to claim 19 wherein the laundry load size
increases as the parameter decreases.
25. The method according to claim 19 wherein the determining of the
laundry load size based on the parameter comprises comparing the
parameter to predetermined ranges of the parameter corresponding to
predetermined laundry load sizes.
26. The method according to claim 19 wherein the laundry load size
is a qualitative load size.
27. The method according to claim 19, further comprising wetting
the laundry prior to determining the parameter.
28. The method according to claim 27 wherein the wetting of the
laundry comprises saturating the laundry.
29. The method according to claim 19 wherein the laundry treating
appliance is a washing machine.
30. The method according to claim 29 wherein the washing machine is
a horizontal axis washing machine.
31. The method according to claim 19 wherein the determining of the
parameter comprises determining the parameter from data obtained
while operating the drum at a steady state.
32. The method according to claim 31 wherein the operation of the
drum at the steady state comprises rotating the drum at a constant
rotational speed.
33. The method according to claim 32 wherein the constant
rotational speed corresponds to rolling the laundry in the
drum.
34. The method according to claim 31 wherein the laundry comprises
a plurality of individual fabric items, and the operation of the
drum at the steady state causes substantially all of the individual
fabric items to rotate as a collective body.
35. A method of operating a laundry treating appliance comprising a
drum configured to hold laundry, the method comprising: determining
a parameter representative of a rotational speed of the laundry in
the drum; determining a parameter representative of a rotational
speed of the drum; comparing the parameter representative of the
rotational speed of the laundry in the drum and the parameter
representative of the rotational speed of the drum; and determining
a laundry load size based on the parameter.
36. The method according to claim 35 wherein the comparing of the
parameters comprises determining a difference between the
parameters, and the determining of the laundry load size comprises
basing the determination on the difference between the
parameters.
37. The method according to claim 36 wherein the parameter
representative of the rotational speed of the laundry in the drum
is the rotational speed of the laundry in the drum in a frequency
domain, and the parameter representative of the rotational speed of
the drum is the rotational speed of the drum in a frequency
domain.
38. The method according to claim 35 wherein the drum is rotated by
a motor, and the parameter representative of the rotational speed
of the laundry is determined from a characteristic of the
motor.
39. The method according to claim 38 wherein the characteristic of
the motor is motor torque.
40. The method according to claim 39 wherein the characteristic of
the motor is in a frequency domain.
41. The method according to claim 39 wherein a Fourier transform is
used to convert the motor characteristic from a time domain to a
frequency domain.
42. The method according to claim 35 wherein the laundry load size
increases as the parameter representative of the rotational speed
of the laundry load decreases.
43. The method according to claim 35 wherein the laundry load size
is a qualitative load size.
44. The method according to claim 35, further comprising wetting
the laundry prior to determining the parameter.
45. The method according to claim 44 wherein the wetting of the
laundry comprises saturating the laundry.
46. The method according to claim 35 wherein the laundry treating
appliance is a washing machine.
47. The method according to claim 46 wherein the washing machine is
a horizontal axis washing machine.
48. The method according to claim 35 wherein the determining of the
parameter comprises determining the parameter from data obtained
while operating the drum at a steady state.
49. The method according to claim 48 wherein the operation of the
drum at the steady state comprises rotating the drum at a constant
rotational speed.
50. The method according to claim 49 wherein the constant
rotational speed corresponds to rolling the laundry in the
drum.
51. The method according to claim 48 wherein the laundry comprises
a plurality of individual fabric items, and the operation of the
drum at the steady state causes substantially all of the individual
fabric items to rotate as a collective body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Process settings for an operation cycle of a laundry treating
appliance may depend on the size of a laundry load. In some laundry
treating appliances, the user manually inputs a qualitative laundry
load size (extra-small, small, medium, large, extra-large, etc.)
through a user interface. However, it may be desirable to have the
washing machine automatically determine the laundry load size
because, for example, manual input may be perceived as inconvenient
to the user and may result in inaccurate laundry load size
determination due to the subjective nature of the estimation. Some
known methods for automatic determination of the load size employ
an output of the motor that drives a drum in which the laundry load
is held in the laundry treating appliance. The output of the motor
may be indicative of a quantitative size, such as mass or weight,
of the laundry, which may then be quantified.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method and apparatus for operating a laundry treating appliance
having a drum configured to hold laundry includes determining a
parameter representative of a rotational speed of the laundry in
the drum and determining a laundry load size based on the
parameter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary laundry treating
appliance in the form of a washing machine according to one
embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the washing machine of FIG. 1
according to one embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a control system according to one
embodiment for the washing machine of FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a drum of the washing machine from
FIG. 1 and a laundry load inside the drum according to one
embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart for a method of determining load size
according to one embodiment.
FIGS. 6A-6C are graphs of motor torque from a motor that drives the
drum from the washing machine of FIG. 1, wherein the motor torque
is shown in a time domain for laundry loads having a dry mass of
about 1, 3, and 5 kg, respectively.
FIGS. 7A-7C are graphs of motor torque from a motor that drives the
drum from the washing machine of FIG. 1, wherein the motor torque
is shown in a frequency domain for laundry loads having a dry mass
of about 1, 3, and 4 kg, respectively.
FIG. 8 is a flow chart for a method of determining a parameter
representative of a rotational speed of the laundry load according
to one embodiment for use in the method of FIG. 5.
FIG. 9 is a graph of the parameter representative of a rotational
speed of the laundry load determined using the method of FIG. 6 as
a function of dry mass for laundry loads having varying wet masses
according to one embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the figures, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an
exemplary laundry treating appliance in the form of an exemplary
washing machine 10 according to one embodiment. The methods
described herein may be used with any suitable laundry treating
appliance and are not limited to use with washing machines,
including the washing machine 10 described below and shown in the
drawings. The washing machine 10 is described and shown for
illustrative purposes. The laundry treating appliance may be any
machine that treats fabrics, and examples of the laundry treating
appliance may include, but are not limited to, a washing machine,
including top-loading, front-loading, vertical axis, and horizontal
axis washing machines; a dryer, such as a tumble dryer or a
stationary dryer, including top-loading dryers and front-loading
dryers; a combination washing machine and dryer; a tumbling or
stationary refreshing/revitalizing machine; an extractor; a
non-aqueous washing apparatus; and a revitalizing machine. For
illustrative purposes, the method will be described with respect to
a washing machine with the fabric being a laundry load, with it
being understood that the invention may be adapted for use with
other types of laundry treating appliances for treating fabric.
FIG. 2 provides a schematic view of the washing machine 10 of FIG.
1. The washing machine 10 of the illustrated embodiment may include
a cabinet 12 that houses a stationary tub 14, which defines an
interior chamber 16. A rotatable drum 18 may be mounted within the
interior chamber 16 of the tub 14 and may include a plurality of
perforations 20, such that liquid may flow between the tub 14 and
the drum 18 through the perforations 20. The drum 18 defines a
laundry treatment chamber 22 sized to hold a laundry load, which
may have one fabric item or a plurality of fabric items. The drum
18 may further include a plurality of baffles 24 disposed on an
inner surface of the drum 18 to lift the laundry load contained in
the laundry treatment chamber 22 while the drum 18 rotates. A motor
26 may be coupled to the drum 18 through a belt 28 and a drive
shaft 30 may rotate the drum 18. Alternately, the motor 26 may be
directly coupled with the drive shaft 30, as is known in the art.
The motor 26 may be a brushless permanent magnet (BPM) motor. Other
motors, such as an induction motor or a permanent split capacitor
(PSC) motor, may also be used. Both the tub 14 and the drum 18 may
be selectively closed by a door 32. A bellows 34 couples an open
face of the tub 14 with the cabinet 12, and the door 32 seals
against the bellows 34 when the door 32 closes the tub 14. A
control panel 36 (FIG. 1) with a user interface that may include
one or more knobs, switches, displays, and the like for
communicating with the user, such as to receive input and provide
output.
While the illustrated washing machine 10 includes both the tub 14
and the drum 18, with the drum 18 defining the laundry treatment
chamber 22, it is within the scope of the invention for the laundry
treating appliance to include only one receptacle, with the
receptacle defining the laundry treatment chamber for receiving the
laundry load to be treated.
Washing machines are typically categorized as either a vertical
axis washing machine or a horizontal axis washing machine. As used
herein, the "vertical axis" washing machine refers to a washing
machine having a rotatable drum that rotates about a generally
vertical axis relative to a surface that supports the washing
machine. In some vertical axis washing machines, the drum rotates
about a vertical axis generally perpendicular to a surface that
supports the washing machine. However, the rotational axis need not
be perfectly vertical or perpendicular to the surface. The drum can
rotate about an axis inclined relative to the vertical axis. As
used herein, the "horizontal axis" washing machine refers to a
washing machine having a rotatable drum that rotates about a
generally horizontal axis relative to a surface that supports the
washing machine. In some horizontal axis washing machines, the drum
rotates about a horizontal axis generally parallel to a surface
that supports the washing machine. However, the rotational axis
need not be perfectly horizontal or parallel to the surface. The
drum can rotate about an axis inclined relative to the horizontal
axis, with fifteen degrees of inclination being one example of
inclination.
Vertical axis and horizontal axis machines can sometimes be
differentiated by the manner in which they impart mechanical energy
to the laundry load. In vertical axis machines, a fabric moving
element moves within the drum to impart mechanical energy directly
to the laundry load or indirectly through wash liquid in the drum.
In horizontal axis machines, mechanical energy is typically
imparted to the laundry load by tumbling the laundry load resulting
from rotating the drum. The tumbling involves repeated lifting and
dropping of the fabric items in the laundry load. The illustrated
exemplary washing machine of FIGS. 1 and 2 is a horizontal axis
washing machine.
With continued reference to FIG. 2, the motor 26 may rotate the
drum 18 at various speeds in either rotational direction. Depending
on the physical characteristics of the washing machine 10, such as
the size of the drum 18, and of the laundry load, the rotation of
the drum 18 may result in various types of laundry load movement
inside the drum 18. For example, the laundry load may undergo at
least one of tumbling, rolling (also called balling), sliding,
satellizing (also called plastering), and combinations thereof. The
terms tumbling, rolling, sliding and satellizing are terms of art
that may be used to describe the motion of some or all of the
fabric items forming the laundry load. However, not all of the
fabric items forming the laundry load need exhibit the motion for
the laundry load to be described accordingly.
The motor 26 may rotate the drum 18 such that the laundry load
tumbles. Tumbling is a condition in which the laundry load may be
lifted by the rotating drum 18 from a lower position, generally
near or at the bottom of the drum 18, to a raised position above
the lower position, where the laundry load is no longer being
lifted by the drum 18 and falls within the drum 18, generally
toward the bottom of the drum 18. During tumbling, the individual
fabric items in the laundry load may move relative to one another
such that the fabric items may rub against each other and may fall
onto each other as they fall to the lower position of the drum 18.
The rotation of the fabric items with the drum 18 may be
facilitated by the baffles 24.
The motor 26 may also rotate the drum 18 such that the laundry load
undergoes rolling wherein the laundry load forms a ball-shaped mass
that rotates with the drum 18. Rolling is a condition in which the
laundry load may not be lifted by the drum 18 as the drum 18
rotates, such as occurs during tumbling, but rather rolls or
rotates while part of the laundry load may still be in contact with
the baffles 24. In this condition, a frictional force may be
present that causes the laundry load to move in a rolling or
folding manner with little or no motion above its horizontal
position in the drum 18. The fabric items in the laundry load
retain the form of the mass, which itself rolls or rotates
essentially as a single body while the drum 18 rotates.
The motor 26 may rotate the drum 18 such that the laundry load
slides. Sliding is another condition in which the laundry load may
not be lifted by the drum 18 as the drum 18 rotates, such as occurs
during tumbling, but may remain at or near the bottom of the drum
18. Sliding differs from rolling in that the laundry load does not
move in a rolling or folding manner; rather, the laundry load
slides off the inner surface of the drum 18 as the drum 18 rotates,
generally exposing the same face of the laundry to the interior of
the drum 18.
Alternatively, the motor 26 may rotate the drum 18 such that the
laundry load sattelizes. Satellizing is a condition in which the
laundry load may be held by centrifugal force against the inner
surface of the drum 18 as the drum 18 rotates. Thus, the fabric
items effectively stick to the drum 18 and rotate with the drum 18
without falling or without rotating independently of the drum
18.
The washing machine 10 of FIG. 2 may further include a liquid
supply and recirculation system. Liquid, such as water, may be
supplied to the washing machine 10 from a water supply 40, such as
a household water supply. A supply conduit 42 may fluidly couple
the water supply 40 to a detergent dispenser 44. An inlet valve 46
may control flow of the liquid from the water supply 40 and through
the supply conduit 42 to the detergent dispenser 44. A liquid
conduit 48 may fluidly couple the detergent dispenser 44 with the
tub 14. The liquid conduit 48 may couple with the tub 14 at any
suitable location on the tub 14 and is shown as being coupled to a
front wall of the tub 14 in FIG. 2 for exemplary purposes. The
liquid that flows from the detergent dispenser 44 through the
liquid conduit 48 to the tub 14 typically enters a space between
the tub 14 and the drum 18 and may flow by gravity to a sump 50
formed in part by a lower portion of the tub 14. The sump 50 may
also be formed by a sump conduit 52 that may fluidly couple the
lower portion of the tub 14 to a pump 54. The pump 54 may direct
fluid to a drain conduit 56, which may drain the liquid from the
washing machine 10, or to a recirculation conduit 58, which may
terminate at a recirculation inlet 60. The recirculation inlet 60
may direct the liquid from the recirculation conduit 58 into the
drum 18. The recirculation inlet 60 may introduce the liquid into
the drum 18 in any suitable manner, such as by spraying, dripping,
or providing a steady flow of the liquid.
The liquid supply and recirculation system may further include one
or more devices for heating the liquid; exemplary devices include
sump heaters and steam generators. Additionally, the liquid supply
and recirculation system may differ from the configuration shown in
FIG. 2, such as by inclusion of other valves, conduits, wash aid
dispensers, sensors, such as water level sensors and temperature
sensors, and the like, to control the flow of liquid through the
washing machine 10 and for the introduction of more than one type
of detergent/wash aid. Further, the liquid supply and recirculation
system need not include the recirculation portion of the system or
may include other types of recirculation systems.
Referring now to FIG. 3, which is a schematic view of an exemplary
control system 68 of the washing machine 10, the washing machine 10
may further include a controller 70 coupled to various working
components of the washing machine 10, such as the pump 54, the
motor 26, the inlet valve 46, and the detergent dispenser 44, to
control the operation of the washing machine 10. The controller 70
may receive data from one or more of the working components and may
provide commands, which can be based on the received data, to one
or more of the working components to execute a desired operation of
the washing machine 10. The commands may be data and/or an
electrical signal without data. The control panel 36 may be coupled
to the controller 70 and may provide for input/output to/from the
controller 70. In other words, the control panel 36 may perform a
user interface function through which a user may enter input
related to the operation of the washing machine 10, such as
selection and/or modification of an operation cycle of the washing
machine 10, and receive output related to the operation of the
washing machine 10.
Many known types of controllers may be used for the controller 70.
The specific type of controller is not germane to the invention. It
is contemplated that the controller is a microprocessor-based
controller that implements control software and sends/receives one
or more electrical signals to/from each of the various working
components to effect the control software. As an example,
proportional control (P), proportional integral control (PI), and
proportional derivative control (PD), or a combination thereof, a
proportional integral derivative control (PID control), may be used
to control the various components.
A washing machine may perform one or more manual or automatic
operation cycles, and a common operation cycle includes a wash
process, a rinse process, and a spin extraction process. Other
processes for operation cycles include, but are not limited to,
intermediate extraction processes, such as between the wash and
rinse processes, and a pre-wash process preceding the wash process,
and some operation cycles include only a select one or more of
these exemplary processes. Regardless of the processes employed in
the operation cycle, the methods described below may relate to
determining a size of the laundry load.
Before specific embodiments of the methods are presented, a
description of theory behind the methods may be constructive.
Referring to FIG. 4, which is a schematic view of the drum 18 and a
laundry load 80 in the drum 18, the methods involve a rotational
speed of the laundry load 80 (indicated by .omega..sub.L) resulting
from rotation of the drum 18. The drum 18 may rotate at a rolling
speed (indicated by .omega..sub.D) such that, as described above,
the laundry load 80 rotates with the characteristic of a
collective, single body. While the laundry load 80 is illustrated
in FIG. 4 as a circle, the laundry load 80 in reality need not
assume such a shape; the actual shape of the laundry load 80 may
depend on the size of the laundry load 80 and the types of fabric
items in the laundry load 80. Regardless of the shape, the laundry
load 80 rolls or rotates with the characteristic of a single body
or at least as a body rotating sufficiently together to be able to
characterize the rotating laundry load 80 as having a rotational
speed while the drum 18 rotates.
The rotational speed of the laundry load 80 depends, at least in
part, on the radius of the laundry load 80 (indicated by r.sub.L).
In general, as the mass of the laundry load 80 in a dry condition
increases, a radius of the laundry load 80 also increases, and,
further, as the radius of the laundry load 80 in the dry condition
increases, the rotational speed of the laundry load 80 decreases.
As the radius of the laundry load 80 approaches and reaches a
radius of the drum 18 (indicated by r.sub.D), the rotational speed
of the laundry load 80 approaches and reaches the rotational speed
of the drum 18. The relationship between the rotational speed of
the laundry load 80 and the rotational speed of the drum 18 can be
represented mathematically by:
.omega..omega..function. ##EQU00001##
A comparison between the rotational speed of the laundry load 80
and the rotational speed of the drum 18 may be employed to
determine a qualitative or quantitative size of the laundry load
80. In particular, a difference between the two rotational speeds
may be indicative of the size of the laundry load 80; as the
difference decreases, the size of the laundry load 80 increases.
The difference may be compared to empirical data to determine the
size of the laundry load 80.
The laundry load 80 may be dry or wet for the determination of the
load size. In one embodiment, the laundry load 80 may be wet to
facilitate maintaining the laundry load 80 as a single, collective
body during rolling. Because a wet laundry load has substantially
the same radius as the dry laundry load, the rotational speed of
the wet laundry load is substantially the same as that of the dry
laundry load. It follows that the rotational speed of the wet
laundry load may be employed to determine the size of the dry
laundry load. The size may be a qualitative size, such as small,
medium, or large, or a quantitative size, such as the mass.
FIG. 5 provides a flow chart of an embodiment of a method 100 that
employs the above theory for determination of load size. The
sequence of steps depicted is for illustrative purposes only and is
not meant to limit the method 100 in any way as it is understood
that the steps may proceed in a different logical order, additional
or intervening steps may be included, or described steps may be
divided into multiple steps, without detracting from the invention.
The method 100 may be incorporated into an operation cycle of the
washing machine 10, such as during a pre-wash or wash process, or
may be performed independently from an operation cycle.
The method 100 may begin with a step 102 of wetting the laundry
load. As stated above, the wetting of the laundry load may be
optional but is included in this embodiment for illustrative
purposes. Referring to the washing machine 10 in FIG. 2, liquid,
such as water from the water supply 40 or a combination of water
from the water supply 40 and wash aid(s) from the detergent
dispenser 44, may be supplied to the sump 50 or directly to the
laundry load in the laundry treatment chamber 22 of the drum 18.
When the liquid is supplied to the sump 50, the liquid may be
supplied to a level to at least partially submerge the drum 18 such
that the laundry load becomes wet by residing in the liquid and/or
by rotating the drum 18 through the liquid. In one embodiment, the
laundry load may be saturated during the wetting. The wetting of
the laundry load may facilitate maintaining the laundry load as a
single body while the drum 18 rotates.
Referring back to FIG. 5, the method 100 continues with a step 104
of rotating the drum 18. The rotating of the drum 18 may occur
subsequent to or simultaneously with the wetting of the laundry
load. In the washing machine 10 of FIG. 2, the motor 26 may drive
the rotation of the drum 18. According to one embodiment, the motor
26 rotates the drum 18 at a steady state for at least a portion of
the step 104. For example, the drum 18 may rotate according to a
constant speed setpoint, wherein the motor 26 is controlled to
rotate the drum 18 according to a constant speed while the actual
speed of the drum 18 fluctuates about the constant speed setpoint
due to the rotation of the laundry load in the drum 18 and
imbalance in the laundry load.
The drum 18 may rotate at a speed suitable to induce rolling of the
laundry load wherein the laundry load rotates within the drum 18 as
a single body with substantially all of the fabric items rotating
together. One or more of the fabric items may undergo independent
movement relative to the single body, but the single body maintains
an overall rotational movement within the drum 18. An exemplary
range of rolling speeds for a drum having a 47.3 cm (18.6 in.)
diameter is from about 40 to 54 revolutions per minute.
With reference back to FIG. 5, a step 106 of acquiring a
characteristic of the motor 26 may occur subsequent to or
simultaneously with the rotating of the drum 18 by the motor 26 in
the step 104. The characteristic may be acquired for any suitable
time period, and an exemplary time period is time required for a
complete rotation of the drum 18. The characteristic of the motor
26 may be acquired in any suitable manner, such as with one or more
sensors associated with the motor 26, via data related to control
of the motor 26, such as data available from the controller 70
(FIG. 3) or other controller, such as a dedicated motor controller,
and other known manners to obtain data related to the control of
the motor 26 and output resulting from the operation of the motor
26. Further, the characteristic of the motor 26 may be any data
related to the operation of the motor 26, such as motor torque,
motor speed, motor current, and motor voltage; in the current
embodiment, the characteristic of the motor 26 is the motor torque.
The motor torque data or signal contains information that may be
used to determine the size of the laundry load.
With continued reference to FIG. 5, the acquired motor
characteristic may be employed to determine a parameter
representative of the rotational speed of the laundry load in a
step 108, and, in a step 110, the laundry load size may be
determined based on the parameter. The parameter may be any
suitable parameter and may be determined in any suitable
manner.
It has been discovered that the motor torque in the frequency
domain is suitable for use in determining the parameter
representative of the rotational speed of the laundry load in the
step 108, especially as compared to the motor torque in the time
domain. FIGS. 6A-6C show exemplary experimental data of the motor
torque as a function of time (i.e., in the time domain) for 1, 3,
and 5 kg dry mass polyester laundry loads, respectively. In the
graphs, the time axis (i.e., the x-axis) is provided as an "Index"
rather than "Time" due to the manner of recording experimental
data. Except for the 5 kg laundry load in FIG. 6C, no clear
periodic or useful content related to motion of the laundry load in
the drum 18 can readily be seen in the time domain. In contrast, it
has been discovered that the motor torque data in the frequency
domain indeed contains useful information, as will be described in
detail below.
The motor torque data may be converted to the frequency domain by
employing, for example, mathematical methods, such as a Fast
Fourier Transform (FFT), as will be described in more detail below.
FIGS. 7A-7C provide graphs of the magnitude of the FFT as a
function of frequency (i.e., the steady state motor torque data in
the frequency domain) for 1, 3, and 4 kg dry mass terry towel
laundry loads. Each graph includes two sets of data to show
reproducibility of the method and, more importantly, an apparent
and useful data peak corresponding to the frequency of the rotating
laundry load. With the motor torque data converted to the frequency
domain, the frequency of or rotational speed of the laundry load
may easily be determined from this peak and then be employed in
calculation of the parameter representative of the rotational speed
of the laundry load. Thus, the parameter representative of the
rotational speed of the laundry may be obtained from the motor
torque data in the frequency domain.
The parameter representative of the rotational speed of the laundry
load may be obtained from the motor torque data in the frequency
domain in any suitable manner, and FIG. 8 provides a flow chart for
an exemplary embodiment of a method for the step 108 of determining
the parameter representative of the rotational speed of the laundry
load. The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 uses the motor torque as the
motor characteristic for illustrative purposes.
With the goal of converting the motor torque signal from time
domain, such as the signal data from FIGS. 6A-6C, to frequency
domain, such as the signal data from FIGS. 7A-7C, in order to
determine the parameter, the embodiment of the method in FIG. 8
begins with filtering the motor torque in a step 120. As an
example, the motor torque may be filtered by a first order analog
hardware filter with a cutoff frequency of about 15.5 Hz before
acquisition of the data. The data may be filtered again in the data
acquisition process, such as by an eighth order Butterworth
Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filter with a cutoff frequency of
about 12.5 Hz.
In a step 122, a steady state motor torque may then be extracted
from the filtered motor torque obtained during the step 120. After
finding the necessary signal, the mean, or dc component, may be
calculated and subtracted from the original signal to remove the dc
offset and an unwanted peak in a Fast Fourier Transform, which is
discussed below, at 0 Hz.
After extraction of the steady state torque data, the data may be
transformed from the time domain to the frequency domain in a step
124. In one embodiment, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) may be
employed to transform or convert the steady state motor torque
data.
One consideration before performing a FFT is length of the signal
as the signal length can affect the outcome of the FFT. If the
signal is too short, frequency resolution of the FFT spectrum may
be too large to distinguish between closely spaced peaks. In some
experiments, the collected data had a signal length of
approximately two minutes, which provided good frequency
resolution.
Another consideration before performing a FFT is windowing the
data. Using a rectangular window or no window may give the best
frequency resolution for a given signal length but will provide the
worst dynamic range resolution, which is an ability to find small
magnitude components among much bigger peaks. Good frequency
resolution and good dynamic range resolution are conflicting needs;
a window mainlobe width affects the frequency resolution while
sidelobe height affects the dynamic range resolution, and a narrow
mainlobe width results in better frequency resolution, while a
lower sidelobe height result in better dynamic range resolution.
These requirements are a trade-off because the sidelobe height
increases as the mainlobe width decreases and vice-versa. For this
embodiment of determining the parameter, a collection of closely
spaced peaks are present in the FFT. The individual peaks may not
be important, but the area in which the peaks occur is important,
which led to the use of a window with a wide mainlobe that gives a
smaller frequency resolution. However, the lack of frequency
resolution is beneficial as the small closely spaced peaks blend
together and appear as one wide peak, which, in turn, enables
better estimation of the frequency for the overall peak. As an
example, the window selected for the experimental data is the
Blackman window, whose coefficients are given by:
.omega..function..times..times..function..times..times..pi..times..times.-
.times..function..times..times..pi..times..times. ##EQU00002##
After selection of the signal length and the window, the FFT may be
calculated. Theoretically, the FFT is calculated from a periodic
and discrete signal in the time domain and becomes discrete in the
frequency domain. Due to the discrete nature, a FFT is generally
plotted as a function of an index, k, rather than as a function of
analog frequency, as in a Discrete Time Fourier Transform (DTFT).
However, for practicality and ease of interpretation, the FFTs for
the experimental data are plotted as a function of analog
frequency, like a DTFT, in FIGS. 7A-7C.
Referring back to FIG. 8, the exemplary method for the step 108 of
determining the parameter representative of the rotational speed of
the laundry load continues at a step 126 of identifying a main
component of the motor torque data in the frequency domain. The
main component corresponds to the frequency at which the laundry
load rotates within the drum 18, or the rotational speed of the
laundry load in the frequency domain. In particular, the rotation
of the laundry load in the drum 18 induces disturbances in the
steady state motor torque, and the disturbances are sinusoidal due
to inherent imbalance of the laundry load. The sinusoidal steady
state motor torque appears in the magnitude FFT at its particular
frequency, i.e., the main component, and the frequency of the
sinusoidal steady state motor torque is also the frequency, or
speed, of the rotating laundry load. For the experimental data for
the 1, 3, and 4 kg laundry loads in FIGS. 7A-7C, the main
components appear, respectively, just below than 1.25 Hz, just
above 1 Hz, and just below 1 Hz, as indicated by the dash-dot-dash
line in each of the figures.
Referring again to the FIG. 8 flow chart, following identification
of the main component or frequency of the rotating laundry load,
the frequency of the rotating drum 18 may be identified and
subtracted from the main component to determine the parameter in a
step 128. Thus, mathematically, the parameter may be the difference
between the frequency of the rotating laundry load and the
frequency of the rotating drum 18, as represented by:
.DELTA..times..times..omega..omega. ##EQU00003## wherein f.sub.L is
the frequency of the rotating laundry load, or the main component,
and f.sub.D is the frequency of the rotating drum 18. Physically,
the parameter represents the difference between the rotational
speed of the laundry load and the rotational speed of the drum, or,
in other words, closeness of the speeds of the drum 18 and of the
laundry load rotating in the drum 18. Because the main component,
or the rotational speed of the laundry load, decreases with
decreasing dry mass of the laundry load while the rotational speed
of the drum 18 remains constant (i.e., the acquisition of the motor
characteristic occurs while the drum 18 rotates at a predetermined
speed), the parameter decreases with decreasing dry mass of the
laundry load and may be indicative of the laundry load size. As the
rotational speed of the laundry load decreases or approaches the
rotational speed of the drum 18, the size or dry mass of the
laundry load increases.
For the experimental data for the 1, 3, and 4 kg laundry loads in
FIGS. 7A-7C, the rotational speed of the drum 18 is about 54 rpm,
and, therefore, the frequency of the rotating drum 18 appears at
about 0.9 Hz, as indicated by the dotted line in each of the
figures. The parameter, which may be referred to as .DELTA.f, for
each of the three laundry loads may then be determined by
subtracting 0.9 Hz from the main component of each of the laundry
loads.
Following determination of the parameter, such as by the method
shown in FIG. 8 and described above, the laundry load size may be
determined based on the parameter in the step 110 of the method 100
shown in FIG. 5. For example, the parameter may be compared to a
reference, such as a reference based on empirical data, to
determine the laundry load size. In one embodiment, the reference
may include one or more ranges of the parameter, with each of the
parameter ranges corresponding to a laundry load size, which may be
a qualitative load size, such as small, medium, or large, or a
quantitative dry mass, such as about 1, 3, and 5 kg. In another
embodiment, the reference may be an equation into which the
parameter may be inserted to calculate a dry mass of the laundry
load.
An example of using the parameter to determine the laundry load
size is shown in FIG. 9, which is a plot providing the
experimentally determined parameter for several laundry loads as a
function of laundry load dry mass, wherein each of the laundry
loads has a dry mass of about of 1, 3, or 4 kg. The x-axis of the
plot represents laundry load dry mass, while the mass given next to
each data point is the laundry load weight mass. The experimental
data for each of the laundry loads was obtained while rotating the
drum 18 at about 54 rpm with a wet laundry load. In the figure, it
is apparent that the parameter for the smallest laundry loads
(i.e., the 1 kg dry laundry loads) is relatively constant,
regardless of fabric type and wet mass of the laundry load. The
same behavior is observed for the largest laundry loads (i.e., the
4 kg dry laundry loads). Thus, the laundry load size for these
laundry loads may be readily determined, either by assigning the
dry mass or a qualitative size, such as small or large. While the
parameter for the 3 kg dry mass laundry loads exhibits a larger
range, the parameter nonetheless has been established as
representative of the laundry load size such that the laundry load
size may also be determined, either by assigning the dry mass or a
qualitative size, such as medium.
The graph in FIG. 9 further illustrates the effects, or lack
thereof, of fabric type and wet mass on the determination of the
laundry load size based on the parameter. Different types of fabric
retain differing amounts of liquid; therefore, laundry loads made
of different fabric types but having the same dry mass may have
different wet masses, wherein the laundry load having more
absorbent fabrics has a greater wet mass. For example, in FIG. 9, a
3 kg polyester laundry load and a 3 kg terry towel laundry load
have the same dry load mass, but, when saturated with liquid, the
wet terry towel laundry load has a larger mass than the wet
polyester laundry load (e.g., 5.5 kg versus 3.2 kg). Another
example in FIG. 9 is two laundry loads, a terry towel laundry load
and a polyester laundry load, having a 4 kg dry mass with a 7 kg
difference between the wet laundry loads (e.g., 18.5 kg versus 11.5
kg). However, a laundry load has substantially the same radius
whether the laundry load is dry or wet, which translates to
substantially the same rotational speed and, therefore,
substantially the same parameter. Because the parameter is
substantially the same for the laundry load, whether dry or wet,
the wet laundry load may be employed to determine the dry mass of
the laundry load. In other words, for a given dry mass, the wet
mass can vary significantly among laundry loads, such as due to
differences in fabric type, without affecting the parameter.
To view this benefit of the method 100 in another manner, the wet
mass of a laundry load does not negatively impact the determination
of the load size, which may be a common problem with prior load
size determination methods. For example, in FIG. 9, one terry towel
laundry load has a wet mass of 10.3 kg, and one polyester laundry
load has a wet mass of 11.5 kg; despite these laundry loads have
relatively close wet masses, their parameters, which are about
0.02-0.03 and about 0.11-0.12, respectively, are not relatively
close but are, rather, in correspondence with the parameter ranges
for their respective dry masses of 3 kg and 4 kg. Thus, the method
according to one embodiment is free of errors associated with the
water absorbed by the clothes load, which is an error of prior
methods.
In the embodiment of the method 100 described above and shown in
the figures, the difference between the rotational speed of the
laundry load and the rotational speed of the drum may be thought of
as a difference between a parameter representative of the
rotational speed of the laundry load and a parameter representative
of the rotational speed of the drum 18. In this embodiment, the
parameter representative of the rotational speed of the laundry
load is the rotational speed of the laundry load in the frequency
domain, and the parameter representative of the rotational speed of
the drum 18 is the rotational speed of the drum 18 in the frequency
domain. The difference between the two corresponds to the parameter
representative of the laundry load from the step 108 of the method
100 in FIG. 5.
The method 100 described above and shown in the figures may be
executed while rotating the drum at any predetermined rolling
speed. In the embodiment described above, the drum 18 rotates at a
steady state during the acquisition of the motor characteristic,
and, in some embodiments, this corresponds to rotating the drum at
a constant speed. The constant speed may be any constant speed that
results in rolling of the laundry, but the constant speed should
correspond to the constant speed, if any, employed to determine the
reference. For example, if the reference is based on rotating the
drum 18 at about 54 rpm, then the drum 18 should be rotated at
about 54 rpm during data acquisition, but if the reference is based
on rotating the drum 18 at about 40 rpm, then the drum 18 should
rotate at about 40 rpm during data acquisition. The relative
relationship between the rotational speed of the drum 18 and the
rotational speed of the laundry load remains the same regardless of
the rotational speed of the drum 18 for a given constant rotational
speed of the drum 18.
In another embodiment of the method 100, the method 100 need not
include the rotational speed of the drum 18 in the determination of
the parameter representative of the rotational speed of the laundry
load. As long as the drum 18 rotates at the predetermined rolling
speed, the rotational speed of the laundry load in and of itself
may be used to determine the load size, wherein the parameter
representative of the rotational speed of the laundry load is the
rotational speed of the laundry load or other measure of the
rotational speed, such as the frequency.
While the embodiments described above employ motor torque as the
motor characteristic employed for determining the laundry load
size, the underlying theory for determining the load size relies on
the rotational speed of the laundry load, and the method 100 may be
adapted for acquiring, sensing, etc. the rotational speed of the
laundry load and/or of the drum 18 in other manners. For example,
the rotational speed of the laundry load and/or the drum 18 may be
determined with a visual monitoring system, such as a system
including one or more video cameras positioned to view the laundry
load and/or the drum 18 during rotation thereof. The video cameras
may be digital or analog, and the video output of the video cameras
may be analyzed, such as with computer software, to calculate the
rotational speeds of the laundry load and/or the drum 18. For
example, a reference point on the object being measured may be
identified at a reference location, and the time taken for the
reference point to leave and return to the reference location may
be calculated, such as by counting a number of video frames having
a known acquisition rate between the time the reference point
leaves and the time the reference point returns to the reference
location. In another embodiment, a reference point on the object
being measured may be identified at a first reference location, and
a time taken to reach a second reference location a known distance
from the first reference location may be determined, such as by
counting video frames in the manner just described. In yet another
embodiment, a distance traveled by a reference point on the object
being measured between a pair of video frames having a known
elapsed time may be calculated. Other methods of acquiring the
rotational speed of the laundry load and/or the drum 18 are
possible and within the scope of the invention.
The method 100 has been described with respect to the washing
machine 10 in FIG. 1, which is a horizontal axis washing machine.
However, the method 100 may be adapted for use with other types of
washing machines, including horizontal axis washing machines having
a tilted drum and vertical axis washing machines, and other types
of laundry treating appliances. While some commercially available
horizontal axis washing machines have a drum angled at about
fifteen degrees, the drum angle may be smaller or greater. The
particular algorithms, such as the algorithm for determining the
parameter, employed in the method 100 may need to be adapted to
accommodate the drum angle because the drum angle may affect the
manner in which the laundry load interacts with the baffles and
rolls within the drum. In a vertical axis washing machine, the
method 100 may be employed if the laundry load is able to achieve a
rolling behavior wherein the laundry load may be characterized as
having a rotational speed. Again, the algorithms employed in the
method 100 may need to be adapted for use in the vertical axis
washing machine. Further, the method 100 may be adapted for use in
other types of laundry treating appliances, including appliances
that do not saturate the laundry, such as clothes dryers and
laundry refreshing machines. Modifications to the algorithms may be
necessary when employing the method 100 in these types of laundry
treating appliances.
The embodiments of the method described herein for determination of
laundry load size have industrial applicability for several
reasons. The embodiments provide automatic laundry load size
determination that employs existing components of the laundry
treating appliance; the motor functions not only to rotate the drum
but also as a sensor that provides data for use in determining the
laundry load size, thereby eliminating the cost of additional
sensors and the like. Further, with the automatic determination of
the laundry load size, which may be more accurate than subjective
input of a laundry load size by the user, the process settings for
an operation cycle may be adaptive to a particular load size, which
may lead to energy and resource savings (e.g., the cycle may employ
appropriate amounts of water, cycle lengths, rotational speeds,
steam use in steam dispensing appliances, chemistry use in
chemistry dispensing appliances, detergent use in automatic
detergent dispensing appliances, etc.). Additionally, the
determination of the laundry load size may be conducted during
normal operation of the laundry treating appliance such that the
operation cycle need not be extended for the determination and that
the laundry load may advantageously be wet for the determination of
the laundry load dry mass.
While the invention has been specifically described in connection
with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood
that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the
scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the
prior art will permit.
* * * * *